Sure, circumstances surrounding this story weren't ideal, but at the end of the day, as a reader, I don't think I should allow myself to get wrapped up into whatever internal DC politics went on to create the situation that lead to this specific issue. What's important is what's on the page, and as far as I'm concerned, I enjoyed the story that Marc Andreyko provided, and felt it was beautifully illustrated by both Trevor McCarthy and Moritat. While this may have not bee the originally intended conclusion to the arc, I still felt that it was a fitting, enjoyable conclusion. Read Full Review

All in all, in this issue the Batwoman team achieved what they set out to do by offering resolution and positioning themselves to move forward with a clean slate. The weaknesses in this issue are mostly due to the challenge of finishing an aborted story arc, and now the creative team should find themselves on stronger footing. I still miss the story that Williams and Blackman told, but rather than dwell on “what could have been” I'm looking forward to seeing Andreyko find his own voice on Batwoman. Read Full Review

Batwoman Annual #1 is a solid release that may play it a bit safe but it does enough right to earn a purchase from its devoted followers. At the end of the day if you're fan of Kate Kane this conclusion comes recommended. Read Full Review

Batwoman Annual #1 finishes up the loose ends of J.H. Williams' run on the book.  Marc Andreyko does his best, but it still comes across as someone finishing someone else's work.  Trevor McCarthy's art is really good and is by far the highlight of the book.  I recommend it for those wanting resolution of the Batman-Batwoman throwdown, but recent readers can stay clear and wait for Andreyko and Haun to get back to business next month. Read Full Review

Marc Andreyko's attempt to tie up all of J.H. Williams & W. Haden Blackman's loose ends is a thankless task to say the least, but he manages to use every page of this oversized annual issue to get the job done. The twists have too much of a soap opera-quality to them, the constant shift between artists is a little distracting, and some of the dialogue could use some work, but it's an alright issue overall. At the very least it should give some fans the closure they need and it serves as a nice bridge between the old creative team and what Andreyko is doing with the series today. Read Full Review

The art is also disappointing in that Trevor McCarthy only handles portions of the issue. The rest is tackled by Moritat, whose work is very spartan and straightforward compared to McCarthy's heavy shadows and more ambitious page layouts. It's just a shame, because such a great run deserved a stronger, more consistent finale. At least Andreyko can get back to his own story next month. Read Full Review

As a whole, this issue features some nice moments for most of the cast, but the over-the-top antics of Chase and Bones are difficult to resolve, and no matter how well the loose ends are tied up, it has been more than six months since the story this wraps up appeared, leaving it feeling a little bit like leftover pizza. Sure, it's still good, but it might have been better when it was warm and fresh. All in all, though, Batwoman Annual #1 makes the best of a difficult situation and lets our hero get in her licks against the dadgum Batman, as well as giving us some closure on the previous era of Batwoman, earning a better-than-average 3 out of 5 stars overall. (Plus, Mister Bones gets shot in the head, so… y'know, bonus.) Read Full Review

Alan Moores SWAMP THINGis remembered by many as one of the greatest runs in comic book history. People often forget it didnt begin with a clean break it began with Alan Moore meticulously and elegantly paying tribute to the team before him by bringing their work to a close. Here, Marc Andreyko attempts the same. While satisfying closure for Williams and Blackman's run clearly demands more space, this annual is a thoughtful and unbidden gift. And if it werent my job to do so, I might not have looked so closely in its mouth. Read Full Review

Batwoman Annual has some gratifying moments, but overall it is not as significant as it should be particularly for a character-defining story years in the making. Read Full Review

This answered most of the questions I had leading into the current run of Batwoman, but I still found myself somewhat disappointed in a creative team that I have seen capable of great things separately. Its by no means a bad issue, and I actually highly recommend picking it up if you were a fan of the previous team if, for no other reason, than to get SOME kind of closure and to be able to move into the new run with greater continuity, but there are definitely problems. Characters are overly-expositional and major plot points are quickly discarded, but that battle is most definitely a sight to behold and the reckoning of the D.E.O. is still satisfying to watch unfold. Read Full Review

One of the saddest parts of J.H. Williams III's departure from Batwoman was that he left before his epic Batwoman vs. Batman storyline was over! His last issue on the series was at the very height of the story, with the tension never higher in Batwoman's life! Welp, rather than just leave that plot dangling, DC has let new writer Marc Andreyko wrap up Williams' story. Andreyko does a serviceable job. Read Full Review

This is a classic example of a real catch-22 situation. If DC hadn't finished off "This Blood is Thick," fans would be disappointed that things ended on such a cliffhanger. However, by handing the assignment to Andreyko and publishing the annual months later, fans instead got a competent issue which merely acted to tie up loose ends. Hardly the epic conclusion many desired. Read Full Review

I'm willing to cut Andreyko a lot of slack here for what was a bit of a poison pill assignment. There's no way that "Batwoman Annual" #1 would thrill most of those who read "Batwoman" #1-24 by sheer dint of the creative team change. While there were some real rough edges (and they're ones that I feel have gone away in the monthly series, so part of the problem here could just be that it was written fairly early on in the transition), his contributions were ultimately fine. Unfortunately, with McCarthy only drawing half of the issue, it's the other half that drags it down a bit. It's a shame, too; we've seen better from Moritat. In the end, it's not a great conclusion to what Williams and Blackman begun, but it's better than no conclusion at all. With Greg Rucka, Williams, and Blackman having all departed the character of Batwoman with stories involving Alice still dangling, perhaps she should just be retired from this point on. It would probably be a little less stressful. Read Full Review

What appears on the surface to be a belated attempt to do right by the title's predecessors only tarnishes their legacy even more with a conclusion lacking any good-faith effort to capture intent and spirit of what came before. Read Full Review